Ireland’s Biggest Night in Palm Beach

Pictured: Tom Quick, Amy and Bret Baier | CAPEHART

02/26/2026

Irish heritage runs deep. It lives in language and music, in family names carried across oceans, in a sense of community that extends far beyond the island itself. Since 1976, The Ireland Funds has harnessed that global network to support peace, culture, education, and community development across the island of Ireland and among Irish communities worldwide, raising more than $750 million to date.

On February 12, that heritage found its Palm Beach expression at the 35th Emerald Isle Ball at The Breakers Palm Beach. The evening became the most successful iteration in the event’s history, launching the organization’s annual fundraising season with record-setting results.

The night was steered by co-chairs Lore Moran Dodge, Michele Kessler, Hillie Mahoney, Sheila O’Malley Fuchs, Thomas C. Quick, and Kevin Curley. Palm Beach has long served as an early and essential stop on The Ireland Funds’ annual calendar, and this year’s turnout reflected that standing.

Nearly 250 guests gathered as the Bob Merrill Society Swing Orchestra performed before President and CEO Caitriona Fottrell took the podium, reminding the room of the outsized role Palm Beach plays in the organization’s fundraising efforts.

The evening also marked a turning point. Fottrell honored Gene McQuade, who has chaired The Ireland Funds America for over six years and will step down at the organization’s 50th anniversary celebration in Dublin this June. McQuade thanked the Palm Beach community for its “continued generosity and belief in the mission,” before introducing Chairman-elect Quick, who will formally assume the role this summer.

Among the evening’s highlights, Kessler presented the 2026 Community Leadership Award to Amy Baier and Bret Baier. In accepting, Bret Baier spoke of his Irish roots and his role as President of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick, describing service as both inheritance and responsibility. Amy Baier closed with the Irish blessing her grandmother used to recite, a simple invocation that briefly stilled a room more accustomed to auctions than prayer.

The Emerald Isle Ball confirms each year that the distance between the two islands has not diminished the commitment between them, as Palm Beach continues to play a meaningful role in Ireland’s future.